Characteristics of Arc welding

power sources
Based on the static characteristics, power sources can be classified in two categories

 Constant current or drooping or falling characteristic power source.

 Constant potential or constant voltage or flat characteristic power source.

Constant voltage power source does not have true constant voltage output. It has a
slightly downward or negative slope because of sufficient internal electrical resistance
and inductance in the welding circuit to cause a minor droop in the output volt ampere
characteristics.

With constant voltage power supply the arc voltage is established by setting the output
voltage on the source. The power source shall supply necessary current to melt the
electrode at the rate required to maintain the pre-set voltage or relative arc length. The
speed of electrode drive is used to control the average welding current. The use of such
power source in conjunction with a constant electrode wire feed results in a self-
regulating or self-adjusting arc length system. Due to some internal or external
fluctuation if the change in welding current occurs, it will automatically increase or
decrease the electrode melting rate to regain the desired arc length.

constant voltage or Flat characteristics

constant current or Falling characteristics

The volt ampere output curves for constant current power source are called ‘drooper’
because of substantial downward or negative slope of the curves. The power source
may have open circuit voltage adjustment in addition to output current control.

A change in either control will change the slope of the volt ampere curve. With a change
in arc voltage, the change in current is small and, therefore, with a consumable
electrode welding process, electrode melting rate would remain fairly constant with a
change in arc length. These power sources are required for processes using relatively
thicker consumable electrodes which may sometimes get stubbed to work piece or with
non-consumable tungsten electrode where during touching of electrode for starting of
arc may lead to damage of electrode if current is unlimited. Under these conditions the
short circuiting current shall be limited leading to safety of power source and the
electrode.

Some power sources need high frequency unit to start the arc, which may be
requirement of processes like TIG and plasma arc. High frequency unit is introduced in
the welding circuit but in between the control circuit and HF unit, filters are required so
that high frequency may not flow through control circuit and damage it. High frequency
unit is a device which supplies high voltage of the order of few KV along with high
frequency of few KHz with low current. This high voltage ionizes the medium between
electrode and work piece/nozzle starting pilot arc which ultimately leads to the start of
main arc.

Understanding the personality of a Constant Current (CC) DC welding machine can

make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful weld test or between a
student who pursues a career in welding and one who may quit in frustration. Learn how
to read a volt/amp curve and select the right welder for your training purposes.

Understanding the personality of a Constant Current (CC) DC welding machine can

make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful weld test or between a
student who pursues a career in welding and one who may quit in frustration.

A true story: A young student (we’ll call him Joe) was testing to qualify for a Stick pipe
job using unfamiliar equipment. Joe failed several tests in a row, something that had
never happened before. Was it Joe’s fault? Did he not practice enough? No, Joe had
the right stuff but the wrong machine. An instructor saw Joe struggling, put him on a
different welding machine, and his next weld was flawless.

What Joe and many others don’t understand is that CC welders have two different
personalities. You can learn a lot about a welder’s personality by looking at its volt/amp
curve, the “birth certificate” of a welder:

1. Stick welders that can TIG weld. An example of this type of welder would be a DC
generator, an “8 pack” magnetic amplifier-type unit or traditional welder with a big
mechanical rheostat for amperage control. Older welders call these machines
“droopers” because of the shape of their volt/amp curve (see Fig. 1).

Fig. 1—The drooping volt/amp of a traditional Stick unit (which can also TIG weld)
enables the operator to control heat input and the shape of the weld bead by
manipulating the electrode.
2. TIG welders that can Stick weld, which have more of a “vertical” constant current
output (see Fig. 2). An example of this type of welder would be a conventional TIG
machine (this is the type of welder that gave Joe fits with an E7018 rod).

Fig. 2—Notice how the TIG volt/amp curve on this modern TIG welder is nearly
vertical. Amperage will remain constant even if the operator varies voltage (arc
length).

There are also welders that Stick and TIG weld equally well, which often use inverter or
chopper technology (Joe used an inverter to pass his weld test). Welders with “multiple
personalities” may be able to produce both diagonal and vertical volt/amp curves (Fig.
3).
Fig. 3—The CC volt/amp curve of an inverter “changes personalities” when switched
from Stick to TIG modes. Also, notice how the percentages for arc force control
increase amperage as voltage drops.

Reading a Volt/Amp Curve

To interpret a volt/amp curve, you must understand the relationship between arc length
and voltage. A basic fact of the arc welding process is that as arc length increases,
voltage goes up; as arc length decreases, voltage goes down.

Manufacturers design Stick welders in such a way that as the operator changes arc
length, the amperage does the opposite of voltage. If the operator decreases arc length
(lowers voltage), amperage increases. If the operator increases arc length (increases
voltage), amperage decreases. In conjunction with this information, another basic fact
that operators need to remember is that voltage is electrical pressure. Pressure
(voltage) controls the height and width of the weld bead, while amperage controls
penetration.
Armed with this knowledge, reexamine Fig. 1. Experienced Stick welders know that
“pulling a long arc” (increasing voltage while lowering amperage) enables them to
create a flat, wide bead with shallow penetration. Long arcing also causes the weld
puddle to freeze faster because it lowers the total amount of energy available.
Conversely, pushing the rod closer to the joint (increasing amperage while lowering
voltage) creates a narrower weld bead, deeper penetration and a more fluid (hotter)
weld puddle.

Thus, Stick welders with “drooper” characteristics allow the operator to control weld
bead quality and appearance by manipulating the electrode. However, this same
welder, while ideal for Stick, is less than ideal TIG. Image you’re welding an outside
corner on 18-gauge stainless steel. If for whatever reason you shorten the arc length
(lower voltage), a “Stick welder that can TIG weld” will attempt to maintain total output
power (watts) by increasing amperage—and that extra amperage (penetration) could
blow a hole right through thin material.

For this reason and others, manufacturers design conventional TIG welders so that
variations in voltage don’t affect amperage. As the volt/amp curve in Fig. 2 shows, such
a welder provides more of a vertical CC output. It holds the current constant regardless
of voltage (arc length) changes…and that’s what frustrated Joe during his Stick weld
test. Joe could have been the world’s best welder, but a “TIG machine that can Stick
weld” simply couldn’t react correctly to Joe’s manipulation of the Stick electrode.

Manufacturers of conventional TIG/Stick welders have overcome some of these

performance limitations by adding an arc force control function to the welder (more on
arc force later). However, many training facilities have older TIG equipment without this
function or, if they have modern equipment, may not understand how to use arc force.
Either way, students are at a disadvantage when learning how to Stick weld. Further,
TIG-specific welders also tend to have more complicated controls, which could confuse
beginners. Finally, while many welders work very well, they simply can’t beat the benefit
and performance of new technology.

Choosing the Right Welder

Inverter technology enables manufacturers to create welding machines with “multiple

personalities,” as the volt/amp curve in Fig. 3 indicates. Basically, because the welding
output is controlled through microprocessors and high-speed current switching devices,
an inverter can create just about any welding output imagined. In short, inverters can
perform all welding processes equally well. For experienced welders who can “feel” the
difference, most welders I know would select a traditionally wound machine for the far
superior volt amp “drooping” curve.

For the college, a CC/CV DC inverter with an output of 350 amps at 60 percent duty
cycle meets most of their welding needs. This type of unit (Miller’s XMT® 350 CC/CV
inverter is an example) enables training students on Stick welding and DC TIG welding
in a broad variety of applications, as well as training students on the MIG and flux cored
processes. Note that for TIG-specific training and AC TIG welding on non-ferrous
metals, an AC/DC TIG inverter like the Dynasty® 350 will offer the most flexibility.

To help instructors choose the best unit for their facility, Miller offers recommendations
for classroom packages on its welding instructors Web page,
MillerWelds.com/instructors.

Miller generally recommends inverters because they offer schools several advantages:

1. This is the type of welding technology that industry is adopting, so it makes

sense to train students on the equipment they’ll use professionally.
2. Inverters are about one-fifth the size and weight of conventional welders, so they
take up very little space—and space in a welding booth is always at a premium.
3. Some inverters offer the ability to connect to single- or three-phase power over
broad primary voltage ranges (e.g., 115 to 460 or 190 to 630 VAC). Also,
inverters draw much less amperage, reducing breaker size or allowing more
welders to be connected to a give breaker. These primary power advantages can
eliminate the need for expensive rewiring.
4. Most importantly, an inverter offers advanced arc controls that enable students to
become more proficient faster. An inverter can make a good welder out of an
average student while letting great students express their full potential.

Lastly, you may be asking yourself, If a drooping characteristic is best for arc welding
why do so many colleges fit out their welding shops with inverter technology? Well,
that’s a good question, and one that can be answered in a number of ways. Mainly, it’s a
choice of the advantages listed above, plus the fact that our industry has mainly moved
that way, and we are training welders for industry. Secondly, if we chose the best
machines to fit in a booth, we would have 4 machines in there and no room for the
student, we have to select the best at multiple tasks and that is also inverter technology

Advanced Stick Arc Control

To provide operators with additional Stick arc control, advanced CC welders offer arc
force or “dig” control. This function enables operators to tailor the shape of the volt/amp
curve to better suit different joint configurations and electrode types, and it can create
an arc that experienced operators describe as “soft and buttery” or “stiff and driving.”

Under normal arc length conditions, a Stick electrode operates at about 20 volts.
However, some welding situations demand shorter arc lengths, such as when the
operator has to push the rod into a tight corner or into a deep bevel of an open root
joint. In these situations, Stick electrodes are notoriously prone to living up to their
namesake and “sticking the rod” (e.g., the voltage drops so low that the arc extinguishes
itself). Arc force control overcomes this problem by increasing current when the voltage
levels drop below about 20 volts (see Fig. 3). The boost of current increases total
power, keeps the weld puddle molten, prevents the rod from sticking and eliminates a
lot of operator frustration.
It helps to remember that inverters can adjust the welding output thousands of times per
second. Thus, the speed of the human hand pushing an electrode closer to the joint is
nothing compared to the speed of a microprocessor! Working with today’s newest state-
of-the-art welders is the difference between giving an account an abacus or a computer.

For schools and training centers that want to teach Stick, TIG and MIG* welding,
choosing the right machine can mean the difference between helping students become
successful as fast as possible or quitting the welding program in frustration. As a whole,
the industry desperately needs to add more skilled welding operators to its ranks. We
owe it to students and trainees to provide them with the tools that will help them
succeed.

*Don’t forget about multiprocess CC/CV welders, which provide outputs for Stick, TIG,
MIG, flux cored and air carbon arc gouging.

Setting Arc Force

Individual operators have their own ideas about where to set arc control, which is
adjusted by a knob on the machine’s front panel. Some general recommendations are
as follows:

 For open root welds on plate or pipe, generally an XX10 or XX11 electrode is
selected for the first pass. During this pass, the operator is trying to achieve full
penetration. By adding arc control, usually toward the high end of the scale (say
5 or 6 out of 10), the operator can control amperage (penetration) by arc length.
 For deeper penetration, simply decrease arc length by pushing the rod into the
joint. At this point—and only at this point—the arc force control will kick in and
provide the necessary boost of current. To reiterate: operators will only
experience arc force when they reduce arc length to a point where voltage levels
drop below 20 volts on most machines.
 For electrodes not used on open root welds, increase arc control to the point
where the electrodes don’t stick during arc starts or while welding (perhaps 2 – 5
on scale of 1 to 10).
 If you are TIG welding, set the arc control at zero or switch it off (if you have a
welder with separate settings for TIG and Stick, this won’t make a difference.
Typically, the welder takes the arc control knob out of the circuit when set to TIG
mode).